The Anna and John J. Sie International Relations Complex now has a roof–and just in time to beat Denver’s first snow of the season. Still ahead is the installation of the copper on the roof, which is scheduled for completion by mid-December.

But since this is Colorado and the snow loves to fly, that’s an estimated completion date.

Matt Wilson, project engineer for The Weitz Company, our general contractor, says, “This is 16-ounce copper that comes in large spools that is then rolled out flat through a seaming machine. The machine creates the vertical parts you will see on the roof, and that’s where the name “standing seam” roof comes in.”

The copper is purchased from a company in Rome, NY, called Revere Copper Products–established in 1801 by the one and only Paul Revere. Wilson estimates there will be approximately 7,000 square feet of copper on the main roof of the Sie Complex. With a square foot of copper weighing in around one pound, that will be about 7,000 pounds of copper on the roof.

Other DU campus buildings have copper roofs due to the material’s low maintenance, longevity (lasting up to ten times longer than typical roofing materials) and high recycled content (approximately 95% recycled copper).